Extinction/Chapter 3
Heart of Ice is the third chapter of Extinction and the third part of Volume 1. It was released October 29, 2015. The third chapter shows the beginning of the relationship between Conner and Ash, as the former takes in Ash out of guilt. However, he debates on what he must do with the boy upon doing so, as the boy is a danger to Conner's reality. Heart of Ice "Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." - Stephen King. ----- A city in danger. A dastardly villain. A damsel in distress… his favorite kind of distress. It was just another day of life for him. Get up, throw on a costume, beat some bad guy ass, save the day, and get the girl. It wasn’t a life he asked for growing up, but you know what? It’s one he sure as hell loves. Keeps him thoroughly entertained and on edge. Everyday was like a movie for her. Sort of like it was right now. For here he was, the hero of Portland, once again out to protect his city. Who was he protecting it from today? No, not some evil businessman apart of the ‘league of evil businessmen’. Not some random drug dealer, or mobster, or anything along those lines. That’d be boring. Who wants to fight a drug dealer? Pffftt, no thank you. Nope, instead Roy Starling -- wait, sorry scratch that. Inferno -- was going against one of his most famed archenemies. The diabolical, villainous mastermind that was none other than Captain Cold. Captain Cold, otherwise known as Wentworth Davie (what a boring name--stick to Captain Cold, please), was a mere street criminal until he discovered his abilities. Which, in case the name didn’t give you a hint, revolved around pyrokinesis, aka ice shit. He has the power to quickly manipulate the air and water into thick, cold, deadly ice. This ability made him a famed thief, but then Inferno came, and Wentworth didn’t take well to this hero’s arrival. So he took up the mantle of Captain Cold and decided, because he had nothing better to do in his life, to become a fucking super villain and wreck shit down on Inferno. Thus, their battle began. And here they are now. It’s a usual battle, hell, probably even cliched. Cold and his unlimited amount of nameless henchman took hostages, including a very beautiful lady who heats Roy up, and demand Inferno face them or hostages will die. Blah blah blah. Usual superhero affairs. Inferno will be done here by lunch, which for the record he still can’t decide what he wants. Hot wings? Nah, too many puns. Pizza? Possibility. Eh, he can figure it out later. Inferno - who in case you had no clue, had fire powers (not like the name gave it away) - touched down on the roof of the warehouse in his usual suit. A red hooded, kevlar jacket, red bandana and domino mask, and dark pants and boots. Nothing out of the ordinary, but damn did Roy know how to pull the look off. The crowd, even seeing just the silhouette of him on the rooftop, went wild. Being the good hero he was, Inferno waved down to his fans with a red, fiery flame hand, before departing to the stairwell entrance. Locked. How cute. No locked door can stand before Inferno! Extending his hand, Roy’s hand flickered out a deadly orb of fire. Oh, the fire, such a beauty of a thing. Dangerous, but exciting. Roy watches as his hand burns through the lock, and upon shaking the flame away, opens the door like any other normal pedestrian. It only took two minutes before the nameless thugs’’ conversations drew him to them. Creeping down the hall, Roy listened intensly to the conversation in the room beyond the thin, degenerating wall. Maybe they were saying something useful? So Roy leaned his ear against the wall for a better listen. “So do you think Inferno is gonna show up?” “Yeah. But I’m not scared of him!” “He--he shoots fire… out of his hands.” “It’s just a myth. I can take him.” Oh, the cliched thugs. How lovely. ‘Oh yeah I can take him lololol’. Seems about right. God, are all nameless henchmen that dumb? Do supervillains just hire homeless druggies to be their henchmen for hire? Villains really need to find better help, it’s quite sad. “Party time.” Roy mutters to himself before kicking down the door ahead of him. In a swift move Inferno runs into the room, grabbing the nearest thug’s wrist to rip the weapon--a crowbar--from his hand. Using the crowbar, Inferno whacks the thug in the stomach before throwing the weapon across the room, hitting another thug in the head. Finishing off the once armed thug with a kick to the stomach, Inferno unleashes a pool of flame from his hand. The flame explodes in between two thugs, knocking each thug into the wall. “Die Inferno!” A thug charges him with a baseball bat like the dumbass they are. Inferno quickly parries away from the bat’s swing, and in retation, grabs the man’s wrist. The temperature in Inferno’s hand rose to burning, and once the thug let out a scream, Inferno slammed his elbow into his neck, followed by a knee to the stomach. Tossing the thug to the ground, Inferno turns to yet another nameless henchman. These guys just never go away. Swiping a sword of fire to the ground, the thug is forced to jump into the air to save his own precious feet. It is in this moment that Roy uses the flames on his feet to propel him towards the thug, tackling him mid-air. The two crash land on a table that is quick to snap with their speeding body weight. “Sorry random hench-guy.” Inferno leaps back onto his feet, expecting to fight another thug when-- A ball of thick, heavy ice lunges itself into his stomach. Inferno flies back to the concrete wall, hitting it with a thud that even makes him flinch. “I’m not going back to the cooler this time!” Oh brother, here they come. The damned ice puns. Just imagine this, please. It will make your experience this much better. Foreigner’s Cold as Ice plays throughout the room, echoing off the walls and into your ears, when here comes this man. He wears a blue hooded parka, with white going down the sides to make it look like frost. Also with him are snow gloves, a scarf, goggles and his….skin cold as ice (I’m sorry for this pun). Here he is! Captain Cold! “Damn. An ice block to the stomach? You’re as cold as ice, motherfucker.” “Talk about a cold shoulder.” “You know what? A part of me thinks I missed these cold and ice puns. It’s pretty fun.” “Then I guess you better--freeze.” Cold shoots a wave of frost towards Inferno, who quickly shot flames from his hand to zoom off like a rocket. “Chill!” “I’m gonna heat that cold smirk off you! Dear God….I just made a pun. Fuck.” The pretty amazing fight between Inferno and Captain Cold is cut short when another appearance by his rogue’s gallery arrives. For after one of the thug’s unconscious bodies is flung in his direction, Inferno shoots to his side, landing hard on his hip whilst doing so. Looking up Inferno spots a hooded figure step from the shadows. Oh, he recognizes this man, as well. The Shadow. Real name unknown. Hell, Inferno doesn’t even know his full background. He was born in the slums, hates the law, and has taken this hatred out on Inferno. People just can’t be grateful, can they? “A team up? I didn’t see that coming.” Inferno jumps onto his feet. “I mean, this is sorta cheating, though. Two against one? Cheap.” “You know what they say, Inferno.” The Shadow says in his whispery voice. “It takes three to tango.” With that said the Shadow flings another table at Inferno whilst his partner shoots ice, all while Inferno lights up his hands, ready for a brawl. To be continued. Wait. What? To be continued? No, no, no. W--what. “No!” Ash impulsively sighs in frustration at the sight of those damned words. Here he was enjoying his comic book when those big, boxed, bolded words pop up at the end of the page to ruin all his fun. Just--fuck. “Oh, man.” Ash sighs once again as he lightly throws his head against the wall behind him. As Ash does this he picks up on the man across the room watching him. It was none other than the man, the insane man, the one who brings hell to all those who cross him. The old, scuffed, damaged, damned man who is none other than Conner Kilderry. Conner simply stares at him with his icy stare and frowned expression. No words are spoken but Ash can get all he needs to hear through the eyes. “Okay. I know it doesn’t look like it, but this is not a bad read.” Ash holds up the comic book for Conner to see across the room. “Only one problem, right there. ‘To be continued’.” Ash points at the box on the page’s bottom. “I hate cliffhangers. Now I’m gonna have to search every comic store until I find the next issue of… Inferno’s Flame just so I can get the proper ending. Do you know how long that will take! If I could go back in time I’d smack these publishes upside the head.” There was no denying that Ash had that boyish charm that young men have. For, with a smirk on his face, Ash chuckles to himself whilst putting the comic down on the wooden floor, but the annoyance is still visible within him. His chuckle, bright blue eyes, dark hair and the innocence coming off him just makes him so endearing to most. Not Conner, though. For instead of replying to Ash and enjoying a playful banter with him he turns his head to focus back on counting his own supplies for the hundredth time. Ash is obviously disappointed by the result. “Okay then.” Ash can’t help but feel disappointed with his new environment. Being the energetic young man he is, Ash used to have tons of conversations and fun with Josh, no matter how the dull situation could be. Josh was always there for Ash….yet Conner is just a distant person, who clearly has no interest in him. Ash has done all he can to try and appease the elder, but Conner is a stern force of nature. Cold, silent, violent. He is described as the type of the man whom the Father warned him about. The type of men who have gave into their darkness and inherited the world. Just being near him makes Ash shiver to the bone. How does he know this man won’t try to hurt him? After-all, he knows there is more to the story of his father than Conner is telling. It’s obvious, as in, even a fifteen year old boy could see through the bullshit. Ash saw it from the moment he ran into the bedroom those two nights ago. In just mere seconds he won’t from reading a simple comic book to sprinting to a gunshot. Life does move fast, as Josh always said. Ash ran into his father’s graveyard. His gut feeling was correct but it didn’t make the pain much better. Here as Ash, a fifteen year old boy, arriving to find out his father and best friend suddenly died. The only indicator of death was the bullet wound that placed itself on his forehead. It’s not surprising that Ash broke down, who wouldn’t? Ash kneeled next to his father’s body, hands grasped around his shoulders, screaming through his teary eyes in hopes that maybe this was just a prank of some sorts. After the fourth scream Ash settled for yearning out moans of pain that even made Conner unsettled. Ash knew Josh was dying….but he didn’t even get a proper goodbye. The child cries the helpless tears in a feeling that can only be described as having your heart plunged from your chest. His whole life, all he’s ever known, gone. Conner, the man of the hour, was standing in the corner of the apartment. Like Ash, pain was visible in the elder man, yet not of sorrow. Conner’s eyes were in a daze whilst glancing back between his trembling hands and an empty space in the corner, as if Conner was staring at someone. His hands shook as if they were the child of guilt and denial, as if he was trying to deny reality but the gun in his hand kept him from doing so. What topped it off were his eyes, filled with an ocean of blue fear. His eyes, caught up in a daze, were mesmerized in the empty corner, watching those who don’t exist. Ash simply saw cobwebs, but whatever, or whoever, Conner stares at sends shivers to his very spine. “What happened?” Ash attempted to ask the stranger, yet Conner stayed moment for a dead moment, as if he neither knew what happened. “I--I had to shoot him.” Conner was at a loss when it came to finding his words. “He was--he was turning. Infected. It was changing him. You… you didn’t need to see that.” Conner’s soft tone illustrates that he himself was trying to believe that himself. Each word was so insure and stripped of power that it was the only thing that made sense. “I’m sorry.” That was all Conner had to say for himself. Instead of trying to comfort the young child, Conner fell back against the wall behind him, continuing to daze off into the abyss that was nothing. He takes the world from a child and does nothing to help deal with the pain. Although it’s not like Conner knew how to comfort someone, so maybe it was for the best. He knows from experience that the best thing one can do is just let it all out. That and accept the truth, of course. Life sucks and the world ain’t fair. Conner embraced it, Ash should too. “I’m sorry.” Conner mutters once more to the boy. That was that. After Ash was finished his initial cries of despair, Conner offered Ash shelter for the time being. Least he could do, right? Conner was nice enough to give this kid shelter for a few days, but under the condition that he would leave eventually. Conner felt enough sympathy to give this boy temporary shelter, but there was absolutely no way he would go with the boy on his journey nor allow him to stay in his life. For better or worse Conner had a life here, one he wasn’t willing to give up because some dude couldn’t protect his kid. Why was it his problem? Hell, why should he even worry about it? Exactly. It wasn’t his problem and he had no reason to worry about it. Kid’s fifteen, he can learn to handle himself. Which leads them to their current predicament. Conner has taken Ash to one his Boston safe houses, where the young boy sits alone in the dark corner whilst Conner does his inventory check. It has been awhile since Conner did inventory check on the church safe house, which is unfortunate due to the supplies he held here. The old church was one of the first safe houses he set up in the city and still one of the better ones. The church wasn’t a giant church or anything, it consisted of only the main area and a few back rooms, but compared to his other zones it stood out, in both size and the supplies he has. Conner wasn’t a religious man by any means, but hey if the few supplies he found here are a gift from God than hail Mary or whatever it was. Catholicism was weird. Conner continues to go over their current supplies whilst glancing his eye back over at the stranger of his reality. Conner, a man forced into survival for twenty gruesome years, is frightened at this child. This young, scrawny, fifteen year old child is scaring the monstrous Conner Kilderry. “Don’t tell me this kid is scaring you?” The ever so helpful Shane appears, manifesting himself as sitting on the table, kicking his feet as he reads an old book. He’s even got his reading glasses on! “He’s not scaring you, right?” Conner remains silent to Shane, who in turn frustratedly throws the book across the room. “What? You gonna ignore me now? You’re nearly a fifty years old, oh my God grow up! What the hell is the silent game gonna do you? Especially since I’m, like, one of your only friends now.” “You’re pathetic.” Shane adds. “Worthless. Nothing.” “Quiet.” “Why? Because the truth hurts?” Shane’s wild eyes watch the boy in the corner. Madness swirls around his irises, not holding back his malicious intentions for the boy. “Kill him. Slice his throat, shoot his face, I don’t care--just do something! He’s an outsider, a danger to us. We can’t let him go on like this.” “I’m not gonna kill a boy." Conner denies Shane's suggestion with a whisper, much to the ghost's amusement. Shane slips out an enthusiastic, sadistic chuckle, holding such a laugh for seconds until it's replaced by a devilish smirk. "Oh, but brother," Shane speaks softly, "you already have." Words are a powerful weapon, often undermined as meaningless. Quite the contrary, as they render Conner frozen, forced to stare at his blood soaked soul. The phrase wasn’t false, not at the slightest. For all the blood on his hands it was bound to happen that children would be among them. Conner turns his head to his side, coming face to face with them. It’s been awhile since he saw them. Ever since he built the lie around his reality his demons have disappeared, having been replaced by the loving ghosts of his family instead. With that reality now slipping away it was only a matter of time before they came back. Their demented eyes make their way towards Conner, who is uncomfortable with the multitude of demons around him. Their widened, black eyes of emptiness follow his presence, watching every move he makes. With decayed skin and blood oozing from their scarred lips, their appearance could scare any man, but the fact they were all children made Conner want to break down. The demonic children of the damned. Leading the army is the two children that meet Conner’s heart the most: two young boys of the names Vincent and Joey. It was him who led to the deaths of his children and it was himself who lead destruction to the orphanage. The Orphanage….an incident he has long attempted to forget, but how could he? It was a moment that drove Conner down the path he went. The phantoms watch Conner, each speaking the phrase he has already accept. “You did this.” Their whispers fill the air. “You killed us.” Their chanting of the sins rise throughout the room, each reminding Conner of yet another life he took. He took young, handsome children and turned them into the phantoms they are now. Shane walks amongst the children with the smiles of sadists, extending his own bloody hands to brush up against their faces, as if he is trying to be their savior. “Look at all faces you killed, brother.” Shane points to their faces that Conner does so hard to look away from. “Each are dead because of you. You killed them. You.” Conner slams his fist on the wooden table, screaming his brother’s name with hatred, while uncaring for the splinters that dig into his skin as he grunts his frustration. Conner, already the emotion fragile type, was always pushed to his limits when Shane decided it was time to torment him. Taking a breath from his recent outburst, Conner is glad to see Shane and the children’s dead army have disappeared back into the depths of his mind, at the cost of Ash staring at him in weariness, however. It wasn’t often Ash saw men scream and slam their fists into tables, but hey the world was pretty fucked up so it isn’t something he’d totally be worried about. After-all, Ash has saw men do worse than get lost in their thoughts. Still, of course, it only reminds Ash of his biggest problem here. Ash doesn’t want to be with this man, much less travel with him. In the forty eight hours Ash has been staying in this church he has saw all he needed too of Conner. He’s rude, self-centered, morbid, distant, creepy and a liar. He isn’t the type of man Josh would normally allow his son to be stuck with, but of course he didn’t have much of an option. That was his life. It’s not what you want, it’s what you need to do. It’s a saying that Josh threw around during their time together, especially during their time with--''him''. Josh, like his son, was an idealist who loved expressing the growing seeds of his own imagination and ideals in life. Sadly, Josh learned that quote to be true after years of experience. In order to live it’s what has to be done, not what you believe. His whole life Ash has lived by this quote under Josh’s rule, and now forced into a world without him, it is a quote he is intending to stick by. So, thus, he is here, allying himself with this crazed man. Conner didn’t seem all bad, on the other hand. Sure, this could just be Ash’s naivety, but Ash generally believed there was goodness in his heart. The humanity is deep within that fallen heart, but it has to be in there. Even the worse of men, such as the Father, were all children of innocence at one point in their lives. That innocence, that embodiment of good, remains in everyone’s soul, no matter how far down one has to look. They will always find good. Of course, as said earlier, this could just be the naivety of Ash. Ash always saw the best in people, no matter what shades of darkness they came in. It’s a trait that works against others in this world, sadly. Ash glances back up towards Conner, who continues to sit in his transcended state. It’s a struggle to find the proper words to speak to this man. “Mr. Kilderry?” Ash’s formal approach has Conner give his own version of a chuckle, if a bit more morbid and lifeless than what they should be. “What? And--don’t call me Mr. Kilderry. I’m not the goddamn president.” “Well, technically, you’re sort of president of Boston. You know, since you’re the only person here.” Ash’s lighthearted mood doesn’t mix with the elder and one look from Conner has Ash banging his head for even attempting to joke. “Is smiling like an unknown concept for you?” Conner remains stoic to Ash’s attempts. “You know, I would tell you a chemistry joke right now but something tells me I wouldn’t get a reaction.” “What the fuck are you doing?” “You’re not gonna crack, are you?” Ash is met with nothing but a glare from Conner, reminding him once more that this man isn’t Josh. Fun and humor are two things that seem to get, simply put, beat with a hammer and tossed into a grinder when near Conner. “Okie-dokie.” “What do you want, kid?” Conner’s whole aura makes Ash nervous but the young child powers through it, after a brief cough. “Have you thought about it?” “About what?” “The trip. Floridia. Me. You.” Conner pauses at an answer. This is a question his instincts have denied, something Ash seems to notice as he notices Conner dart his attention away. “It’s not crazy. It’s safe down there.” “Nowhere is safe, kid.” “This place has walls. Big walls. Safer behind them than not.” “If that were true then it wouldn’t have gotten this bad.” “Would you rather stay out here and--what, rot?” “I’ll be the first to remind you that you’re a kid. You’re like what, fourteen?” “Fifteen.” “Big-fucking-whoop. You don’t know a damn thing about this world, kid. Don’t try acting otherwise.” “I know we’re alive. That has to mean something.” “It means shit.” “If so then we’re already dead anyway! So why not take a little trip?” “You’re stubborn.” “So are you.” “As I’ve been told.” No denying such a fact. Conner was a cynical, stubborn, old man and Ash was an optimistic, stubborn, young man. It takes a bulldozer to move them from their stances. “You can hide behind your walls, but what are you gonna hide behind in them? Just because there is no infected doesn’t mean it’s safe. Get your head in reality. The world isn’t what you make it.” “You wanna tell that to Shane?” Ouch. The usual strengthened Conner is taken aback by such a comment, going as far as to stumble back from the sting. “I heard you yell his name back there.” “No you didn’t.” “Look, I don’t care about ‘Shane’ or any of that. I don’t care if you don’t like me. I just--I can’t make this journey alone. I’m a kid, I can’t protect myself like you can. You’re a bit of a dick, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re the kind of dick I need. By that I mean helping me survive not--you know, the dirty.” “I need you. Would you really just rather rot in this city than do some good?” Ash adds. Bluntly speaking, Conner had about three months to live. Conner is low on everything that is needed for survival and, if his calendar is anything to go by, then winter is coming. Winter was the cruelest of times, bringing forth cold that even matches the hearts of men. It freezes, it tramples, it kills. There was once a time in life where Conner would sit on his porch would some hot chocolate and enjoy the snow, yet now he fears its very existence. If he leaves he has a much better chance at surviving, so why not do some good? After-all, it isn’t like this kid could survive on his own, especially not in the winter. Conner gives him about three weeks tops before the soil gains some fresh blood. With Conner, their chances are still pretty fucking low, but it’s higher than their chances of surviving alone in their respective journeys. Not like their journeys are too different, after-all. Both are running from the death that hunts them down. “I’ll think about it.” Even still Conner can’t bring himself to agreeing. ---- He told himself he’d save it for his final day. His last hooray. What better way to die than drinking a rare, cold beer with death? It was a good plan. Too bad he said fuck it and cracked it open tonight. His last day on earth is gonna be a bummer now. Conner drinks his last, precious beer against the church’s wall. Feet laid out, slouched slightly and a jacket to rest his head on, Conner felt very comfortable even without the beer, but oh boy did that make his whole night better. Something as rare as drinking beer made him want to explode on the inside. With all the shit he’s been through in the past few weeks, from phantoms to Ash, he deserves a nice drink. So drink he does, taking every sip with such a smile that one would think that Conner was hit over the head. Unfortunately, every time he feels that burst of happiness rush through the blackened veins his eyes fall onto the sleeping boy across the room. This sight is what ultimately kills the happiness. This kid... this damn kid. Conner watches the child sleep whilst taking another sip of his beer. His eyes don’t leave even whilst Ash twists and turns, as if he was mesmerized by this child. He hasn’t thought about it up until this point but only one thing can cross Conner’s mind in this moment. Ash is Joseph. Of course, not literally. The son of Conner met his fate a long time ago. Still, it was remarking how much Ash reminded him of Joseph. Their boyish charm, naive stubbornness, and eager to please behavior are combined with their darkened hair and brightened eyes that put some light even in the eyes of Conner. A chuckle finds its way on Conner’s face once a memory comes back. A little while before the outbreak, Joseph was complaining that he wanted to get pizza to the hard working Conner, who was pushing himself on a deadline and only left him some of that microwavable TV bullshit. He used his charm to beg the stubborn Conner every ten minutes, hoping each attempt would be as good as the last. “But, Daddy,” Joseph would start, “with mommy not here we can get pepperoni.” Ashley had taken Vincent to his friend’s house because their church league soccer team was having their final party of the season, so a meal with just those two meant they could get some pepperoni as Ashley and Vincent hated it. “We could eat some pizza and watch the Patriots.” After a while the kid got through to Conner, who gave in and drove Joseph down to the nearby pizza shop. It was in this shop that they sat in some booth, ate the delicious pepperoni pizza, drank some refreshing coca-cola and watched as the Patriots kicked some football ass. Needless to say it was a bonding moment between the two. As the smile fades off, Conner is faced with another distant emotion of his. Sadness. Sadness, an emotion that Conner has felt but not in the degree has right now. For abruptly he can’t help but cry. He’s not too sure why, as there are a multitude of reasons, but he believes he knows it. He likes this kid; he feels a connection. It’s something he swore he would no longer have, yet here it is, and realizing this has forced this grown man into tears. “Stop.” Conner commands himself. “Just--stop.” He takes another sip of his precious beer to help distract himself, although this isn’t something that Shane takes very well. “What the fuck you doing drinking for?” Shane asks from the table next to Conner. “I mean, I love my beer too, but we got a problem. This kid is invading your life. He knows about us.” “You gotta kill him.” Shane adds, much to Conner’s dismay. Finishing the beautiful bottle of beer in his hands, Conner drops the useless bottle and departs his way from the main room. “You’re gonna walk away from me?” Shane asks. “Because we all know that can’t work.” Conner’s path is blocked by the suddenly appearing Shane, who forms out of the air in front of Conner’s eyes. “Because I’m in your head, so where you go is where I go. We’re a dynamic duo!” Conner glances his eyes with his brother but chooses to ignore him and walks through his body, which of course is nothing but air. “You--just walked through me. That’s not cool.” With no particular interest, Conner makes his way onto the church’s roof. The shining stars of night, the bright white of the moon’s light and the nice breeze help sooth Conner back into the shell he is, not the outbursting of emotion he was. So he stands there in silence, watching the light fall upon the fallen city that has been claimed his home. “I don’t know what to do.” “How so?” Shane asks. “I just--I don’t know!” Conner rubs his aching forehead. “Is it about the kid?” Conner nods. “Kill him. Get it over with. He ain’t gonna survive out there.” “I won’t kill a kid, for fuck’s sake. It’s not right.” “Didn’t stop you before.” “This is now.” Shane attempts to throw his arm around Conner, something that is quickly rejected by Conner. “Look at this way. What purpose does this kid serve here? You let him go on his own he will die. If you go with him not only will he die, but he will get you killed! Death obviously has a boner for this kid, so c’mon, give the bitch a pop to the head.” Shane waves his hand out to the city for Conner’s eyes to see. “This city is our home, Conner. Don’t leave us for some kid. Just because his daddy couldn’t protect him doesn’t mean you have too. We both know what happens to heroes.” “I just feel weird.” Conner admits. “Something is eating me up.” “It’s called morality. I thought we shoved that shit in the gutter a while ago. We need to do what we gotta do.” Shane lifts up an imaginary, but to Conner a very real, pistol and holds it out to his dear brother. “If you don’t wanna do it, you can just give me control. I’ll make it quick.” “Why do you care?” “I mean, ain’t it obvious? If you die, I die! I don’t wanna do that again, no thank you.” “You’re already dead.” “No shit. You did it.” Shane moves closer to his brother, hoping his demonic words will slip into the cracking soul. “Thanks for that, by the way.” Shane temporarily tucks the gun away in order to first break down his mind. “You need to think about your family. Ashley, Joseph, Vincent, they all need you.” Feeling another hand on his shoulder, Conner turns to his left to find his lovely family. Ashley gives him a smile as lovely as ever whilst rubbing his shoulder, her eyes seducing Conner into staying with them. “I killed his father.” Conner turns away from Ashley, trying to resist his wife’s charm. “No, you killed the man who gave you this death sentence, sweety. Don’t worry about it.” She strokes his hair like a hairdresser does her favorite patient. “You owe him nothing.” “But I owe myself something, right?” “You owe yourself survival!” Shane’s swift hand finds its way across Conner’s face, knocking Conner briefly over as Shane continues to tower over him. “For twenty years--''twenty''--you did what you had to do. You fought to protect your family, you tried to save them. You did your part. You owe yourself nothing! After their deaths, all you did is what you had to for survival. The survival that your family wants for you! Everything you’ve built, the safety we created, the promises you made…..are you just gonna break it down for some kid? It’s a cute story, but this is the real world, Conner. It doesn’t revolve around doing the right thing, it’s about doing what you need to do.” “You want redemption, but for what? Doing what everyone in the world has done? Hell, what is redemption even gonna get you? It won’t erase the past, it won’t make you immortal, it doesn’t bring them back! Do you wanna be a hero, is that it? There are no heroes, Conner! Heroes don’t exist, neither do those ridiculous ‘villains’. This world isn’t one of good and evil, hero and villain, it’s one of me and them. We’re all desperate. We’ve all been made to do desperate things! Don’t, don’t let those things mark you! You don’t need redemption, nor should you even strive for it. You are who you are, brother! Embrace it.” Conner matches his eyes with Shane, their two eyes staring into the respective abysses. While all Shane sees is brokenness, all Conner sees is the darkness. Ironic how Shane is acting as the counsellor right now. Even more so how Conner nods his head, accepting his brother’s words! He was right! Conner shouldn’t throw everything he has away for some morals. Damn morals, damn the goodness. We our the center of our own world. Conner has tried to be the better man. Many times in his life Conner tried to do good by others, hoping to be a hero to them. All he wanted to do was protect people, protect his family. Yet all those times he did good, all the times he tried to save people, he failed. The people he showed mercy too showed no mercy in return. The times he went out to get supplies resulted in deaths. Every time he saved one man another was killed in his place. This world….this fucking world! Conner tried to be the man his family wanted him to be, but piece by piece this world broke him down because of his damn morals. Now look at him: a lonely, broken, piece of shit with no purpose in this meaningless life. What’s the point in trying to be the hero when the world was made for the cowards and monsters? Even when he tried to isolate himself from the world, there truly is no escape is there? No matter where you go either people will find you or death will hunt you down. Conner can see the truth now. Being isolated doesn’t help, it kills, just as it does being a good man. There is only way to survive this world. A way Conner has walked the path of once in his life: the path of the devil. “You’re right.” “What was that?” “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you.” “I said you were right.” Conner adds with a tint of sad reluctance, although that is soon replaced by anger. “Damn the right thing.” “Exactly! Damn it to hell!” Shane exclaims with absolute joy on his face. A joy that is matched by Conner’s family as they too rejoice in Conner’s smart decision. “People try to bind us by these fucking morals, as if they mean something! Honestly, though, what does doing the right thing do for people? Make you feel all warm and fluffy on the inside? It’s pathetic. It gets you nowhere in life.” Shane stands beside his brother, joining him in watching the city. Honestly, he can see the heavy depression that sits in Conner’s eyes, especially now that he has gave up on his idea of helping Ash. He’ll get over it, though. He always does. “He was right about one thing.” Conner reminds Shane. “We’re gonna rot here. This city is dead.” “So let’s pack up the family and go on a roadtrip. Not that big of deal.” There are few places, especially in this region, that have much supplies left. Sure, he would find scrapes here and there, but nothing concrete to give him a real surviving chance. “There is one place we can go.” Conner turns towards his brother with shades of darkness that now matches him. “The zone. The one in Florida.” “Why the hell--” “We can rob them blind.” Conner finishes his sentence before Shane’s input could be given. Shane raises his eyebrow to Conner; however, he is very interested. “We go there, gain their trust, and wait to strike. We could get enough supplies to last years.” “Interesting. But what about the bitch inside?” “We--we use him as our cover. It’d be a bit suspicious if we show up alone, no? But who would deny a man trying to save an innocent kid? Tell them how I saved this kid from the city and how I was hell bent on protecting him. The’ll will feel sympathy towards me and let their guard down just enough for me to get the jump on them. Take their shit, leave them for dead “This sounds like a suicide mission.” “Are we forgetting who I am? The stuff I’ve done? The people I’ve killed?” Conner raises his eyes to Shane, allowing Shane to look inside them. Shane may be the manifestation for Conner’s insanity, but when times come, Conner proves himself to be insane enough without Shane. "I’m Conner Kilderry. You think they have a chance against me?” Shane watches as Conner embraces the darkness, a feat Shane takes the credit for. Oh, such a beautiful sight it is when a man embraces the insanity of the world around them. “No. No they won’t.” Shane extends his hand out too Conner, awaiting for Conner to shake his hand and embarke on their new mission. Conner the bandit rides once more! If he chooses to accept, of course. Conner’s eyes stray between his loving phantom of a family and the offer in front of him, each representing what he needs to do: this is his life, his world, and he’ll do what he needs to do for survival. Reality is what he makes it. Conner grasps Shane’s hand, showcasing Conner’s plan with the devil. Today is the day, ladies and gentleman, that Conner Kilderry is letting his monster win the struggle. Shane Kilderry, the darkest monster of them all! As their handshake breaks Conner feels a surge of adrenaline inside himself, ready and eager to live his life. No one will stand before him. Afterall, it’s either live and embrace the darkness or die with the light. The choice is clear to the devil of Conner Kilderry. Conner makes his way back into the church, Shane and the family by his side, ready to do what must be done for survival. Grabbing a bag from the table he tosses it over to Ash, quickly awakening the boy who jumps onto his knees. “We’re leaving in the morning.” “Really?” The tired beyond belief Ash asks to make sure his hearing is correct, and much to his happiness, Conner nods. “Oh my God, thank you!” Ash can’t help but thank his newfound savior, who focuses on packing his stuff. Ash knew he’d take it. Afterall, there is good in everybody, and Ash saw the glimpses of goodness in Conner’s heart. He knew Conner was the type of man he needed: a hero. A hero that is ready to help guide a kid to safety out of nothing but good nature. If he only knew who Conner Kilderry was. Conner was no saint, nor was he barely human. He was the man with enough blood on his hands to fill a river. He was the man who invaded that orphanage that led to the deaths of innocents. He was the man whose mistakes cost his family. He was the man who killed his own brother and hundreds of other people. Conner is the man who ran from his own reality to create his own little world. Conner is the man who is ready to become the devil for his own survival! Conner is far from human, and as the years went by, Conner has become something else entirely. Conner Kilderry was nothing but a phantom of the past. And now there is only the survivor. ---- |next = }} Category:Extinction Chapters Category:Extinction Category:Issues